India welcomes New Year 2026: What’s open and what’s closed today

Streets across India buzzed with celebrations as people joined the rest of the world in welcoming the New Year 2026 on Thursday, amid severe cold and heightened security in major cities.

While New Year’s Day is a restricted holiday, most establishments are functioning as usual, though closures apply in some sectors and regions due to weather conditions.

What’s open and what’s closed today

Government offices:
Most government offices and departments are expected to remain open, as New Year’s Day is not a gazetted holiday.

Schools and colleges:
Schools and government-run colleges are largely open, but winter holidays have been extended in some states due to extreme cold and fog.

• In Punjab, Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains announced holidays for all government, aided, recognised and private schools until January 7, citing dense fog and cold conditions.

• In Assam’s Guwahati, schools have been shut for a week and will reopen on January 7 due to the ongoing cold wave, according to PTI.

Hospitals and healthcare services:
Government hospitals and emergency services remain fully operational.

Public transport:
Delhi Metro, city buses and taxi services are running as per schedule. Several cities extended metro services and increased frequency to manage New Year crowds.

Security arrangements:
Major cities including Delhi, Kolkata and Bengaluru put heightened security in place, especially around metro stations and popular public venues, ahead of New Year celebrations.

Banks and stock markets:
Banks are closed in select cities on New Year’s Day, as per the Reserve Bank of India’s holiday list. Branches in Aizawl, Chennai, Gangtok, Imphal, Itanagar, Kolkata and Shillong are shut.
The Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange, however, are operating as usual on January 1, 2026.

Across the country, people marked the New Year with fireworks and special events. In Delhi, crowds gathered at hotspots such as Connaught Place to ring in 2026, while in Amritsar, devotees thronged Shri Harmandir Sahib to offer prayers and seek blessings, PTI reported.